Automatic lighting control for vehicles.



J. G. EGERTON.

AUTOMATIC LIGHTING CONTROL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1914.

1,1 35,999. I Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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UNITED s A-Tns PATENT OFFICE.

,IoHN GEORGE EGERTON, or MEMPHIS, 'rnmms'snn, As'sxenon or ONE-THIRD so GRAHAM EGERTON, OF -WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

AUTOMATIC LIGHTING- CONTROL FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed March 16, 1914. Serial. No. 825,072. i v y To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN GEORGE Eon TON, a citizen of-the United States, residing at .Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Lighting Control for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification. I

This invention relates .to electric systems for lighting automobiles, thatis, for-providing the head and tail lights for such vehicles. c I

One object of theinvention is to provide for automatically switching from ared tail light, which is normally shown when the car is standing still, to a green tail light when the car 'is in motion.

Another object is to automatically cause ,the red tail light to flash or flicker when they car is moving backward, and a further object is to provide for an uninterrupted vflow of currentto the head light during all conditions of the tail lights.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which. constitute a part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description. I In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference characters are used .in both views to designate corresponding parts: Figurel is a diagrammatic view of my lighting system, showing the circuits to the head and tail lights and the circuit breakers in the circuits of the tail lights, and Fig.

2 is an enlarged plan view of the dynamo and itsdriving connection with a gear on the front wheel of the automobile.

In Fig. 1, A designates the head light and B and C the conductors which place it indirect circuit .with the battery D. The red tail light E and green tail light F may be grouped together, as shown, and supplied with current by individual conductors G and H leading from said red and green lights, respectively, and by a common conductor J leading electrically connected to the sockets of both of said lights. Of these three conductors, only one, H, connects direct with one of the main circuit conductors from the battery to the head light, its con nection being with the conductor or wire B.

' The wire or conductor G leads to a nor- Specification of Letters-Patent. Patented Apr. '20, 1915;

mally closed circuit breaker K, and areturn wire or conductor L"connects said circuit breaker to the conductor H at h. The conductor or wire J leads from the sockets of the tail lights to a spring switch arm" M forming a part of a combined circuit making and breaking device N having spaced opposed contacts n and n. The resiliency of the arm" M normally holds it against the contact 1. The contact n is connected to the wire or'conductor C ofthe main battery circuit by a conductor orwire 0, while a' conductor or wire P connects the contact n with the conductor '0 at p.

From the foregoingit will be seen that under normal conditions, which exist when the-automobile equipped with my system is standing still, the head light and the red tail light will be in circuit, the head light being always in direct circuit with the battery, and the red tail light having its branch circuit from the conductor B through wire H to h, thence through wire L to the closed circuit breaker'K, and via wire G to the red light, and back via wire J to arm M, to contact n, through wire P to p and thence through wire 0 to the other main circuit conductor C. It will also be seen that when the arm M is moved out of contact with the contact a andrinto electric connection with light will be broken and a branch circuit will be established to the green light as followsf: From the main circuit conductorB through wire H to .the green light socket, and back through wire J to arm M, to contact n, and via wire 0 to the other con ductor of the main circuit.

To automatically move the arm M out of contact with the contact n and into contact with the contact n, I provide an electric magnet R having an armature 1" adapted to engage the said arm and move it in the manner stated when'the armature itself is attracted by the magnet. Said magnet is normally dead, but as soon as the automobile is started, it is supplied with electricity or energized, by current from a dynamo S driven by a flexible shaft T and pinion U from a gear V designed to be mounted on one of the front wheels of" the automobile, see Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that as soon as the car is started, the dynamo supplies current which energizes the magnet and the latter attracts the armature which breaks the red light circuit and establishes the green light circuit, so that while. running the automobile will display a green tail light, but as soon as it stops the magnet will become dead again and, thearmature will rise, assisted by a spring r, whereupon the I arm M will move upward, under its own resiliency, out of contact with the contact 01, and into contact with the contact 11).

' The connection W between the flexible shaft T and the dynamo is such that the latter will beturn'ed in one direction only, namely when the car is moving forward. I have shown-a ratchet connection, but any other suitable. connection will answer, it being understood that ,the dynamo will be driven only when the vcar'is moving forward and not when the car is moving backward.

Mounted on a part of this connection which does turn in both directions is a disk X carrying a radially projecting pin X arranged in the path of a rule jointed extension Y of the resilient arm k of the circuit breaker K. When the automobile is moving forward this pin X will pass the rulejointed extension Y, simply pushing it aside, but when the car is moving rearward the rule-joint will remain stiff with the result that each time the pin passes the extension the arm in will be moved to break the red light circuit, thereby causing saidlight to flash or flicker, notifying persons atthe rear that the car is backing.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with two tail lights of different colors, of a normally open circuit to one of thetail lightsja normally closed circuit to the other tail light, means for break ing thenormally closedtail light circuit and closing thenormally open tail. light circuit when a vehicle equipped with the apparatus is moved forward, whereby differently colored tail lights will be displayed when the vehicle is runningin a forward direction and when it is still, and. means operated by the vehicle only when the latter is in motion for periodically interrupting. the normally closed circuit when ,'the vehicle is moved rearwardly, thereby causing at such times a flashing of the taillight which normally burns when the vehicle is still. 1

2. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a circuit including a generator and a-lamp,.of another circuit including another lamp, one circuit being normallyclosed and the other normally open, and electrical means depending for its operation upon the motion of a vehicle equipped with the apparatus for breaking the normally closed circuit and closing the nor? mallyopen circuit when a vehicle equipped with the apparatus is set in motion.

3. In apparatus of'the character described, the combination with a circuit including a generatorandia, danger signal, of another circuit including .a safety signal light, the

former circuit being normally closed and the latter normally open,- and means for breaking the normally closed circuit and closing the normallyopen circuit when a vehicle I equipped with the apparatus is moved forward, and means operated by the vehicle only when the latter is in motion for periodically interrupting the danger lamp circuit when the vehicle is moved rearward.

4. In apparatus of the character described,

colored tail lights, of a normally closed circuit to one of said lights, a normally open the combination with a pair of differently circuit to the other light, spaced contacts in "diiferent circuits, a movable arm included inboth circuits, an electric magnet, an arma ture adapted to contact with said arm and shift it from one'of said spaced contacts to the other, a dynamo for energizing said magnet, driving connection from the running gear of the vehicle for actuating said dyna-' mo when the vehicle is moved forward,

whereby differently'colored lights will be displayed when the vehicle is moving forward and is still, means for periodically interrupting the normally closed circuit when the vehicle'is-moved re'arwardly, and means forautomatically throwing out the driving.

connection from; the running gear to the dynamo when the vehicle is running rearwardly,'whereby at such times a flashing is caused'of the tail light which normally burns when the vehicle is still.

5. In apparatus of the character described,

thecombination with a circuit including a generator and a lamp, of another circuit ineluding another lamp, a circuit maker and breaker having two contacts and a, common switch arm, the latter being included in both circuits and eachcircuit including a difi'erent. one of sa d contacts, said arm being normally' held in contact with one of said contacts to close one circuit while the other circuit is normally open,rand electrical means depending for its operation upon the motion of a vehicle equipped with the apparatus for moving said arm into engagement with the other contact toclose thenormally open circuit and open the normally closed circuit when a vehicle equipped with the apparatus I ent one of said "contacts, said arm being normally held in contact withoneof said contacts to close one circuit while the other circuit is normally open,- an electric magnet, an.

armature therefor arranged in the path of said arm, means for normally holding said armature away from the magnet, and a dynamo to be connected with the running gear of a vehicle equippedwith the apparatus for energizing the magnet when the vehicle is started, thereby moving the armature into engagement with the other contact, closing the normally open circuitand opening the normally closed circuit.

7. In apparatus of the character described,

the combination with two tail lights of different colors, ofa normally open its operation upon the motion of a v equipped withv the apparatus for breaking the normally closed circuit and closing normally open circuit when the vehiclels set" in motion, whereby-a difierently colored tail a light will be displayed when the vehicle is- 25 .7 running and when'it is still. 1 In testimony whereof I have signed my; name to this specification in the circuit to 4 one of said lights, a normally closed circuit to-th'e other light, and means depen j for two attesting witnesses. a a JOHN GEORGE EGERTON. Witnesses: a HENRY Bonsai IRA M. SAINT.

presence of 

